Stealth Dash - Pressing X will have Hotsuma perform a Stealth Dash. When this happens, he's impervious to damage and he travels at very fast speeds. Use this to move from place to place very quickly, and use it while jumping to extend the jump distance. If an enemy is targeted, press the Left Analog Stick to the side and press X to perform the Stealth Dash. This will cause Hotsuma to run around and behind the enemy, where you'll be able to strike from behind and cause much greater damage than normal. This technique is also useful to attack enemies who are adept at blocking your attacks.

Double jump - Pressing Circle to jump again while already airborne will cause Hotsuma to double jump. Use this to travel greater distances and reach new heights.

Shuriken - Press Triangle to use shurikens. Shurikens will inflict a bit of damage, and also stun most enemies. They can be blocked, though. Pressing Triangle after a double jump will perform a Shuriken Burst, which will thrown shurikens in many directions simultaneously, and stun any nearby enemies. You must have plenty of shurikens to use this maneuver.

Special Attack - Pressing Square will perform a normal slash, but holding it while targeting an enemy will perform a Special Attack. The attack will cause greater damage than normal, but it will also eat up some of your Slash Meter, so use it wisely.

Wall run - Hotsuma can run along certain walls. He can't run along walls that are damaged or black colored. To perform a wall run, jump at any clean wall at an angle. Hotsuma should stick to it like a fly. Once on there, you can run from side to side. In order to move up or down the wall, jump once to release, and either double jump immediately to go up, or let yourself fall a bit before grabbing a lower section.

Ninjutsu

Hotsuma has three types of Ninjutsu (magic) available to him. They are Ka'en, Kamaitachi, and Raijin. You can collect Makimono, which look like scrolls, to use Ninjutsu. Hotsuma can hold three Makimono at a time.

Ka'en - This is an area effect damage spell. It inflicts fire by combusting vital energy absorbed and stored in the body. Using this consumes one Makimono.

Kamaitachi - This is a ranged attack. Using sword pressure, Hotsuma will hurl shock waves at enemies. You can use this six times per Makimono.

Raijin - This magic will allow Hotsuma to become invincible for a short period of time.

Notes

At the start of the second level, Akujiki (Hotsuma's sword) will become alive. The sword feeds off the pain and suffering of defeated souls. If Akujiki is not fed for a while, it will start to eat away at its wielder's life. Watch the Slash Meter, and make sure that Akujiki isn't getting hungry. If so, start chopping down enemies to feed it.

Defeating multiple enemies in a short period of time will cause Akujiki to become charged. When this happens, the sword will change colors, first to blue, and then to a red-purple. When Akujiki is charged, it will cause much greater damage than normal. Use this to your advantage to slice through enemies. When fighting multiple foes, it's usually a good idea to fight the smaller and easier enemies first, so that your sword will be charged a bit while attacking the stronger enemies.

When enemies attack, icons will appear in the upper-right corner, showing how many are attacking at once. If you defeat them all in a short period of time, you will obtain TATE. Getting TATE will fully restore your Slash Meter, and it will also show a nice cut-scene of all your enemies perishing at once.